Mato Grosso enacts law prohibiting the use of cell phones in schools

After all, are smartphones allies or villains in Brazilian education? The debate is ever-increasing, and reaches new heights in some states. Therefore, the Government of Mato Grosso sanctioned a new law that prohibits the use of cell phones in state public schools.

The measure, which was made official by Governor Mauro Mendes and is already in force, aims to prevent distractions and improve the academic performance of these students in the classroom. Find out more details.

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No cell phones in schools: rules and exceptions

According to the sanctioned legislation, students are prohibited from using electronic devices such as cell phones, tablets and similar devices during class time. The restriction includes not only classrooms, but also other teaching environments, unless use is previously authorized for pedagogical purposes.

Therefore, the only electronic devices that will be allowed are those provided by the State Department of Education (Seduc) itself when necessary for pedagogical purposes, such as notebooks, chromebooks and Smart TVs. In addition, there is also an exception for students who have disabilities or Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) who need these devices for educational assistance or health monitoring.

The main objective of the law is to improve students’ concentration, eliminating problems such as constant distraction caused by social networks and digital games. Studies show that excessive use of cell phones can harm academic performance, reduce social interaction and even affect the mental health of young people.

Most parents agree with the new law

Monitoring compliance with the law will be the responsibility of the schools themselves. Institutions will be responsible for defining specific rules and adopting disciplinary measures if infractions occur. Although the law does not provide for direct penalties for students, it is up to the teaching units to establish internal rules, respecting the Child and Adolescent Statute (ECA).

If it depends on many parents, they will have help to keep their cell phones turned off or even absent from the school environment. According to Mauro Mendes, governor of the state of Mato Grosso, the survey that was commissioned by Seduc to find out the opinion of parents revealed that the majority of them agree with the measure.

“We sought to know the opinion of parents and guardians regarding the use of electronic devices in the classroom, and more than 86% of them were in favor of this ban. It is very important to have family support when making decisions: this reinforces that they know and recognize what is best for their children within the school”,

Mato Grosso was not the only state to take this measure

The law sanctioned in Mato Grosso shows a growing movement to regulate the use of electronic devices in school environments in Brazil. This measure raises a debate about an increasingly current concern with the quality of education, while at the same time raising discussions about how to balance the presence of technology in schools in a productive and safe way.

But Mato Grosso was not the only one. Remembering that on the same day as this law was sanctioned, the state of São Paulo also followed the same steps, banning the use of cell phones in schools. Find out more details about the measure in the state of São Paulo in our dedicated article, clicking here. Another state that took similar measures was Rio de Janeiro, find out more details by clicking here.

Furthermore, other countries have already had similar measures in place for some time, such as Switzerland, Italy, the Netherlands, Finland, Denmark, Spain, Portugal and Mexico.

Source: diarydaserra